Venetian blind



Sept. 23, 1969 H. A. PAYNE 3,468,330

VENETIAN BLIND Filed July 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 1 j? l INVENTOR. HAROLD A. PAYNE yma /f ATTORNEYS Sept. 23, 1969 H. A. PAYNE 3,463,350

VENETIAN BLIND Filed July 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

HAROLD A. PAYNE yfiuwi' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,468,360 VENETIAN BLIND Harold A. Payne, 252 Bering Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed July 18, 1968, Ser. No. 745,761 Int. Cl. E06!) 9/36 US. Cl. 160172 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is a Venetian blind assembly wherein a series of carriages each adapted to support a Venetian blind slat, are interconnected along a track by means of rigid links, the free ends of which slidably engage in inclined slots in the carriages as the carriages are actuated towards and away from each other. The lead carriage is a driven carriage and is actuated along the track as it threadedly engages with a threaded shaft. The slats are adapted to be tilted by means of a spllned shaft that extends through each of the carriages and cooperates with a gear ring carried by the base of the slat. The assembly is simple and compact.

This invention relates to a track for a Venetian type blind where the slats are vertically disposed.

Vertical Venetian blinds have of recent years been very popular. A great variety of decorator effects can be achieved because it is possible to supply the vertical slats in a decorator fabric. They thus can have the texture and decorative effect of draperies but have the advantage of being able to control the entry of light into a room better than a drapery. It is, of course, essential that a simple and rugged mechanism be provided for tilting the slats of the blind and also for moving the slats at will across the window opening, The mechanism must additionally be capable of tilting the slats in an efficient but simple manner.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a track for a Venetian blind of the vertical type that can etiiciently and simply tilt the Venetian blind slats to any desired adjustment.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a track for a Venetian blind of the vertical type that can efiiciently move the series of Venetian blind slats that it supports across a window opening.

With these and other objects in view, a track for a Venetian blind according to this invention comprises a bed, a driven carriage, drive means for the driven carriage, a plurality of trailer carriages, link means interconnecting the driven carriage and the trailer carriage in a series, guide means on the bed for guiding the series of carriages along the track.

Slat mounting means are provided for Venetian bl nd slats carried by each of the carriages. Means for mounting the slat mounting means for rotation on its carriage about an axis that substantially aligns with the turn axis of a blind slat mounted to the track in use are also provided. A shaft carried by the track has a series of splined gear teeth extending therearound, the gear teeth of the series each extending longitudinally of the shaft. The shaft extends through each of the carriages and the carriages are adapted for sliding relation with the shaft. Gear means associated with each of the slat mounting means in gear meshing relation with the splined teeth of the shaft translates rotation of the shaft to rotation of the slat mounting means.

The invention will be clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Venetian blind assembly with track according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section from the underside of the track illustrated in FIG. 3 showing the interconnection of adjacent carriages;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view, partly broken away of a Venetian blind track; and

FIG. 4 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which the rotatable slats are connected to the carriages for rotational control.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally indicates a Venetian blind according to this invention. It comprises a frame having similar lower and upper tracks 12 held in relative position with respect to each other by means of rigid side frame members 14 and 16. Similar motors 18 for each of the tracks are adapted to rotate a threaded drive screw that carries the driven carriages of each track across the track, as will be explained later. Motors 18 are synchronously controlled by manual operable control dial 20 to start and stop at will in either direction of rotation. Similar motors 22 are manually controlled by the dial 24 to operate a splined shaft to rotate the slats between the tracks in either direction at will, as will be explained later.

The track construction is illustrated generally in FIG. 3 which shows the end portion of the track with the driven lead carriage and one trailer carriage in fully extended position. The track comprises a bed for the operating parts that has a channel form with a longitudinally extending slot through which the shafts 26 of the slats 28 extend. At the extreme left in FIG. 3, there is shown a driven carriage 30 which has a body portion that is adapted to ride longitudinally of the bed in the opposed guide rails 32 and 33. A drive screw 34, threaded along its full length, is in use rotationally driven by the motor 18 and threadedly engages with the body of the carriage 30 so that as the screw is rotated by the motor 18 in one direction or the other, the driven carriage 30 will move in one direction or the other along the track 12. Motors 18 can at will be operated to rotate drive screw in either direction by controls 20.

In addition to the driven carriage 30, there are a plurality of trailer carriages 40, one for each slat. Carriages have a body, similar in general outline to the body of driven carriage 30, that slides along the track 32 but they have an opening through which drive screw 34 passes without threaded engagement therewith. There is substantial clearance between drive screw 34 and opening in the bodies of the trailer carriages 40 so that as driven carriage 30 is moved under the influence of the drive screw 34, the trailer carriages are not driven by the drive screw.

Link means interconnect the driven carriage 30 and each of the trailer carriages 40. The link interconnection is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. FIG. 3 illustrates the connection between the lead carriage and one trailer carriage but the connection is the same between all trailer carriages. In FIGURE 2, the solid line position shows the carriages fully extended. The left hand carriage is shown in dotted lines in the closed position.

It will be noted that the flat base portion of each of the carriages is formed with a pair of slots 42 and 44. In the case of the drawings, the driven carriage is identical with the trailer carriages in this respect but in some cases, it need not be because the need for nesting between the driven carriage and the first trailer carriage is not as necessary as it is with the successive trailer carriages. However, for practical purposes construction will, in most cases, be as illustrated in the drawings.

It will be noted that each of the trailer carriages have a lead edge 46 and a trail edge 48. The trail edge 48 of each carriage is complementary with the lead edge of each successive carriage and the general outline of the edges is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the track so that the sides of the trail and lead edges of the carriages extend beyond the centre portion of the edges of the carriage. This arrangement permits an eflicient disposition of the parallel slots 42 and 44. It will be noted that slot 44 extends from adjacent the centre of the lead edge of each trailer carriage to adjacent one side of the trail edge and that the slot 42 extends from adjacent the centre of the trail edge of the carriage to adjacent one side of the lead edge. Each of the slots are Parallel to each other so that by having the general outline of the edges inclined and by inclining the slots in this way, it is possible to achieve a long pair of slots in a relatively compact carriage so that the link 56 that joins adjacent carriages can have a greater length whereby to permit greater separation of adjacent carriages.

Driven carriage is similar to the trailer carriages but it will be apparent that the need for making the lead edge identical or complementary to the trailer edge of nother carriage does not exist because the lead edge of driven carriage does not cooperate with another carriage.

In FIG. 2, the manner in which the rigid links 50 slide within the slots of adjacent carriages is illustrated. When the carriages are in a folded position with the lead edge of one in abutment with the trailer edge of the next carriage as illustrated by the dotted line position of the left hand carriage, the line 50 that joins them extends diagonally across the two carriages with one end of the link adjacent the free end of a slot 42 and the other end of the link adjacent a slot 44 in the other carriage. It will be apparent that by arranging the slots to extend from adjacent the centre of the edges to extend to adjacent the edge portion and by arranging the edges of the carriages at an incline to the longitudinal axis of the track that it is possible to store the rigid link 50 in this diagonal arrangement when the carriages are in a close coupled relationship. This permits a long link.

As the lead carriage is moved away from its adjacent carriage to an extended position, a disposition of carriages is achieved similar to that illustrated by the solid line position of the left hand carriage in FIG. 2 and also in FIG. 3. In this case, the link member 50 slides so that its free ends assume a position at the ends of the slot that are adjacent the centre of the lead and trail edges. The links pull at the centre of the edges of the carriage when fully extended whereby to minimize a tendency of the carriages to bind in the tracks.

The drive means for moving the carriages along the track is illustrated in FIG. 3 and has been referred to above. Essentially it consists of a screw 34 threaded for its full length that threadedly engages with a threaded bore in the lead carriage so that as the screw 34 is rotated in one direction or the other, the lead carriage moves in one direction or the other along the screw and within its track mounting means. If the lead carriage is in the extended position, it moves towards the closed position until it meets with the next adjacent trailer carriage. As movement of the lead carriage continues, it pushes the adjacent trailer carriage towards the next trailer carriage. This continues until all of the trailer carriages are being pushed before the lead carriage and the blind is cornpletely folded with all of the carriages in close abutting relation with each other. When it is-desired to move the blind to an extended position, the screw 34 is turned in the opposite direction, the lead carriage moves off to extend the links from the position illustrated in dotted lines at the right hand position of FIG. 2 to the solid line position illustrated in FIG. 2. Following this the same separation takes place between the next two adjacent carriages until all carriages are fully extended. A suitable slip clutch is provided on the motor when the lead carriage reaches the full extent of its travel in either direction in the event that the actuating means is continued to be actuated in the on position. The invention is concerned with the track and detail of control means is not included in this application.

The slats 28 are rotatably mounted in the carriages to extend from a carriage in the top track 12 to an underlying carriage in the bottom track to maintain the slats vertical. Means are provided in the tracks for rotating the slats in each case and the rotating means comprises in each case a slat mounting disk 60 rotatably mounted on a bearing 62 of the carriage 40 which has downwardly depending gear teeth that engage with the spline gear teeth of splined gear shaft 64. It will be noted that gear 60 is inclined so that the gear teeth thereon engage with the spline teeth of the splined shaft 64 on one side only. As viewed in FIG. 4 the teeth clear the splined shaft 64 on the right hand side of the bearing 62. They engage with the splined shaft in a gear cooperative manner on the left hand side of the bearing 62. Thus, when the splined shaft 64 is rotated, the spline teeth thereon cooperate and engage with the teeth on gear 60 to translate rotation of the shaft to rotation of the slat mounting disk 60. As disk 60' rotates, it carries with it shaft 26 whereby to turn the slats 28.

It will be recalled that the tracks 12 are the same at the top and at the bottom and that synchronously controlled motors 22 operate the splined shafts of each track. These motors are synchronized so that they turn together. Thus, when the disks 60 in the bottom track rotate, disks in the top track rotate in an identical fashion to turn the slots. The drive motors for the shaft 64 are controlled by the manually operable dial 24 and an appropriate slip clutch is included to take up the motor power when the slats are turned to the limit of their movement in either direction. Unnecessary detail of the drive motor is not included because the invention relates to the track and not its motor control.

It will be apparent that the gear ring between the slats, that is, disk 60 and splined shaft 64, is such that the movement of the carriages longitudinally of the track is possible without any binding of gearing arrangement.

It will also be apparent that a blind constructed with track according to this invention is a very efficient blind. The slats can be positively and easily rotated. The carriages are interconnected to give maximum separation with a positive link interconnection. At the same time, the carriages can be moved without any interference with the gearing arrangement between the slats and the rotational drive means for the slats.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A Venetian blind assembly comprising a track having a bed, a driven carriage, drive means for the driven carriage, a plurality of trailer carriages, link means interconnecting the driving carriage and the trailer carriage in a series, guide means on said bed for guiding said series of carriages along said track, each of said trailer carriages having a lead edge and a trail edge, each of said trailer carriages having a first slot that extends from adjacent the centre of the lead edge to adjacent one side of the trail edge and a second slot that extends from adjacent the centre of the trail edge to adjacent one side of the lead edge, said first and second slots being substantially parallel, said link means comprising a rigid link joining adjacent trailer carriages that slidably engages in the first slot of one carriage and the second slot of an adjacent carriage, said driven carriage having a trail edge and a slot extending therefrom, said link means connecting with said lead carriage and an adjacent trailer carriage.

2. A Venetian blind assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which said lead and trail edges are substantially parallel and generally inclined with respect to the direction of travel of said carriages.

3. A Venetian blind assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which said drive means for said driven carriage comprises a threaded shaft substantially coextensive with said track, said lead carriage having a threaded through bore in cooperative relation with said threaded Shaft whereby as said shaft is rotated, said driven carriage is driven along said track, said threaded shaft extending through each of said trailer carriages, said trailer carriages being formed with a through opening to permit the said passage of said threaded shaft.

4. A Venetian blind assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which said lead and trail edges are substantially parallel and generally inclined with respect to the direction of travel of said carriages and in which said drive means for said driven carriage comprises a threaded shaft substantially coextensive with said track, said lead carriage having a threaded through bore in cooperative relation with said threaded shaft whereby as said shaft is rotated, said driven carriage is driven along said track, said threaded shaft extending through each of said trailer carriages, said trailer carriages being for-med with a through opening to permit the said passage of said threaded shaft.

5. A Venetian blind assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said carriages has a rotatably mounted base for a Venetian blind slat, second drive means for rotating said base of each of said carriages, said drive means comprising a splined shaft substantially coextensive with said track and extending through each of said carriages, said base having a gear ring adapted to cooperate with said splinecl shaft whereby as said splined shaft is rotated, said slat bases are rotated.

6. A Venetian blind assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which each of said carriages has a rotatably mounted base for a Venetian blind slat, second drive means for rotating said base of each of said carriages, said drive means comprising a splined shaft substantially coextensive with said track and extending through each of said carriages, said base having a gear ring adapted to cooperate with said splined shaft whereby as said splined shaft is rotated, said slat bases are rotated.

References Cited UNKTED STATES PATENTS 2,855,991 10/1958 Loucony 160-477 2,993,535 7/1961 Taylor 160-173 3,038,534 6/1962 Cayton 160-173 3,280,891 10/1966 Eldredge ct a1. 160-172 PETER M. CAUN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 160-176 

